Sindhi Dal Pakwan

A typical and most famous sindhi breakfast consisting of dal and served with pakwan i.e. crisp puris.  Quite delicious and satisfying.  Enjoy as breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!

Ingredients

For Dal

• 2 cups chana (split chick peas) dal
• 2 medium onions (one for garnish)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 6 green chillies, chopped
• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. Chilli powder
• 1 tsp. amchur (dry mango powder)
• ½ tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. Salt or to taste
• 2 tbsp. ghee or oil

For Pakwan

• 2 cups Maida (all purpose flour)
• ½ tsp. Ajwain (Carom seeds)
• ½ tsp. Cumin seeds
• ½ tsp. chilli powder
• 3 tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
• Water to knead to dough
• Oil for deep frying

Method

Wash the dal and soak for 1 hour.  Take a vessel and place on heat, add the ghee or oil and when hot, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and chopped onion and fry till onions are soft and light brown.  Add the chopped tomato (I have used 1 tbsp. tomato paste instead), and saute for a minute.  Add the dal, turmeric powder and salt.  Add sufficient hot water to cover the dal and cook till dal is tender but not mushy.  There should be no white spot in the center of the dal. Add the chillie powder, amchur and garam masala powder and cook till fat surfaces.  If water has dried up add a cup of water.  The Dal should have some gravy. Add the green chillies and cook further 5 minutes.  Remove.  Serve hot garnished with chopped onion, coriander leaves and tamarind chutney or Green chutney. Add both chutneys if you prefer.  Serve with Pakwan.

To make Pakwan

Mix the flour with cumin, ajwain, salt, chilli powder and ghee, mix well.  Add water little buy little and knead to a semi hard dough.  Cover and leave to rest 15 minutes.  Divide into 15 portions and roll each out into a thin disc.  Prick the surface with a fork (to prevent it puffing) as you want it crisp.  Heat oil in a kadai to hot and fry the pakwan on medium low heat till crisp and golden.  Serve hot with dal for a delicious and satisfying breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner or a snack!

To make Sweet Chutney (Saunth)

Made from Mango powder and usually served with snacks

5 tsp mango powder (Amchur)

3/4 cups sugar or jaggery (I used jaggery)

2 ½ tsp. cumin seeds

½ tsp. Black salt

1 tsp. black peppercorns

1 tsp. black cardamom seeds (use white if not available)

1 tsp. red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 drop red food color

1 small raw mango

Roast the cumin on a pan, cool.  Pound black salt with a pestle if it is in chunks. Powder the cumin, black salt, peppercorns, cardamom seeds to a fine powder. Transfer to a dry bowl and add the red chill powder and salt and mix well.  Sieve the mango powder to break up the lumps.  Peel, and cut the mango into small pieces.  To make a larger quantity, double the ingredients.

Put 1 cup water in a saucepan, add mango powder and whisk to prevent lumps.  Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously until it thickens and becomes glossy. Add the remaining ingredients (except mango pieces) and stir till jaggery dissolves.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Remove and sieve through a soup strainer and cool.  Add the mango pieces and refrigerate.

To make green chutney:

Grind to a paste:

1” pc ginger

2 green chillies

2 flakes garlic

1 to 2 cups fresh coriander leaves

½ cup mint leaves

2 tbsp.  lemon juice

1 tsp. salt or to taste

Grind all together to a paste without adding water as far as possible.